David Slade hasn’t made a movie since he directed The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, spending much of his time launching TV series by helming early episodes of This American Housewife, Awake and Hannibal. However now he’s heading back to the movies, as he’s signed on to direct The Widow.

Ray Wright (The Crazies, Case 39) wrote the screenplay, which follows a young woman who becomes friends with a lonely widow, only to discover that their meeting was not by chance.

Vendome Pictures is backing the film, and its CEO, Philippe Rousselet, commented, “We are thrilled to be working on this piece with David. He is such a dynamic filmmaker, and we are excited about his vision to make this movie a throwback to some of the most iconic thrillers in cinematic history – not to mention the two females leads being the strongest and most interesting we have seen in some time.”

Several months ago it was rumoured that 20th Century Fox was in talks with Chornicle helmer Josh Trank for its planned reboot of Fantastic Four, but it’s only now that the studio has confirmed Trank has indeed signed up to helm the movie.

The idea is to give Fantastic Four a completely new tone and feel compared to their most recent film adventures, presumably taking them in the grittier direction of many recent superhero movies. Fox hopes to begin production on Fantastic Four after shooting wraps on two more superhero projects, The Wolverine and the X-Men: First Class Sequel.

In related yet opposite news, director David Slade has dropped out of the Fox’s Daredevil reboot. The studio is said to be keen on the screenplay, most recently worked on by David James Kelly, but the director couldn’t fit it into his schedule, due to his commitment to direct the Hannibal pilot. Fox has to get production started this fall, or they risk the rights reverting back to Marvel Studios. (Source: Deadline)

The future of Hannibal Lecter is on TV, as series based on both Clarice Starling and Hannibal himself (as well as FBI agent Will Graham) are in development. The latter is being shepherded to the small screen by Pushing Daisies creator, Bryan Fuller, who has now found his serial killer in the forms of Mads Mikkelsen.

The actor won Best Actor at Cannes just a few weeks ago for The Hunt, but is probably best known as the villain in Casino Royale. Now he’s going to TV to play Hannibal Lecter in the NBC show, according to Deadline. Will Graham is yet to be cast, but the show will focus on his hunt for the Lecter, expanding on events touched upon in Red Dragon and The Silence Of The Lambs.

David Slade (Hard Candy, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) will direct the pilot, which is expected to start airing early next year, with NBC having already ordered 13 episodes. Whether Lecter will work on TV is another matter, especially considering US network television will limit the violence and terror it will be able to show.

While David Slade had a huge hit with Twilight: Eclipse, since then he’s stuck to TV, such as the pilot of Awake and the upcoming Hannibal Lecter series. However he’s now set to direct the upcoming psychological thriller, Villain, written by Joshua Zetumer (RoboCop).

Villain follows two brothers as they confront their dark past in an unforgiving wilderness. There’s no info on exactly how they brothers get into the Alaskan wastes or any other details of the plot. Filmmakers are currently casting for the two lead roles.

It’s not Slade’s first Alaskan set tale, as he made the great little vampire movie, 30 Days Of Night, set up in the Arctic circle when bloodsuckers descend on a town when it’s plunged into darkness for a month.

While David Slade went rather mainstream with Twilight: Eclipse, before his sejourn into the world of teen vampires he was the helmer of some pretty hardcore horrors such as Hard Candy and 30 Days Of Night. It appears he hopes to return to darker territory, although more noir than horror, as Variety report that Hunting Lane Films has acquired Ed Brubaker’s graphic novel Coward, with Slade signed on to direct.

Brubaker is adapting his own graphic novel, which centers on Leo, a master thief who can plan and execute any heist known to man, even though his world is populated with dirty cops, hustlers, and low-lifes. Coward, which won the Eisner award for best new series in 2007, is the first in a planned six-part series.

It isn’t known when the movie might go into production, but it isn’t likely to be for a while, as Slade is still scheduled to make the Dracula tale, The Last Voyage Of The Demeter, next.

General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser